Greek Gods Abroad: Names, Natures, and Transformations

Robert Parker

Abstract

This is a book about interaction between Greek religion and the religious cultures of the many regions of the eastern Mediterranean and beyond with which it came into contact during the long period when Greek was the lingua franca of the ancient world. It studies the practice of identifying Greek gods with those of other countries, and its limits. It shows how Greek gods were named and referred to within Greece, and how these ways of naming were adopted, extended and adapted in new cultural contexts. It argues, following Hermann Usener’s Götternamen, that such naming practices provide essentia ... More

This is a book about interaction between Greek religion and the religious cultures of the many regions of the eastern Mediterranean and beyond with which it came into contact during the long period when Greek was the lingua franca of the ancient world. It studies the practice of identifying Greek gods with those of other countries, and its limits. It shows how Greek gods were named and referred to within Greece, and how these ways of naming were adopted, extended and adapted in new cultural contexts. It argues, following Hermann Usener’s Götternamen, that such naming practices provide essential insight into religious psychology and values.